Returning heroes

We have an open sitting in office. OFBians move around positions frequently basis comfort and availability. So, this time I sat right across one of my former colleagues who’d joined us back after a brief hiatus outside of OfBusiness. It felt good, unusually.

When CEOs return to lead, it’s a sign that the company is in bad shape. And the returning CEOs’ results have been mixed too. Schultz and Jobs radically turned around Starbucks and Apple on their returns. While Michael Dell, Lafley (P&G), Mark Pincus (Zynga) and Charles Schwab’s returns have been muted.

When players return to clubs in the high octane, highly mobile world of professional club sports, it’s meant respect for the aged returner who’d brought past glories but had to be traded for commercial reasons. Here too, results are largely adverse for the returning star.

But when it’s the return of a colleague, especially one who’d left for greener pastures, it feels great. It’s a stamp that we are an unmatched place to work. And unlike the battle-weary CEOs and players, returning colleagues are better, with age and experience. And on their return, they bring joy to old friends and are hungrier than before.

(Pic of recent returning OFBians attached). And we say – Once an OFBian, forever one!

Read more from CEO speaks Column:-
–Anniversary of the dread
–Being a tulip farmer